"Hello, is this Nicklaus Henshaw?" A deep, gravelly voice spoke from the other end of the phone."Yes, who is this?" Nicklaus asked, his grip tightening on the device."This is Dr. Stevens from General Hospital. You need to deposit the payment immediately, or your sister will not receive treatment." Before Nicklaus could respond, the line went dead.Nicklaus stared at the phone in shock, his mind reeling. Everything was happening too fast. With trembling hands, he dialed his wife Stella's number.The phone rang endlessly, but there was no answer."God, Stella, please pick up!" Nicklaus whispered, his hands shaking so badly he nearly dropped the phone.He called again and again, but Stella never answered. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he shoved the phone back into his pocket."I know she's looking at her phone right now," he muttered bitterly. "This has become her habit lately, and it's not helping anyone."Nicklaus walked down the street like a man in a daze. He had no one to ask

"Rim Hotel, Room 89," Nicklaus read the message, his brows furrowing in confusion."Maybe she wants to give me the money," he thought hopefully. After taking a deep breath, he stood up and whispered to himself, "The only reason I married Stella was to raise the $300,000 needed for my sister's treatment, but I ended up using everything I got to pay off old debts."He sighed heavily. Over the years, he had genuinely fallen in love with Stella's personality, thinking she was something special. What he didn't realize was that she was like a beautiful rose—gorgeous on the surface, but full of hidden thorns.She had only been kind to him during the first few months of their marriage. After that, she stopped caring about him entirely and never bothered to tell him where she was going or what she was doing.Determined to meet her at the hotel, he stood up and headed toward the building's exit. He avoided the front entrance, not wanting another confrontation with Frederick.He successfully sli

Nicklaus felt not only belittled but completely stunned that Stella—whom he had been desperately trying to reach for days—had answered Gabriel's call before the first ring even finished."Hello, honey. Sorry I didn't answer on the first ring. I thought it was that pathetic man who keeps begging me for money," Stella's voice came through the speaker.As she spoke, Gabriel quietly signaled Dr. Stevens to move Rita to a ward but leave her unattended. The devastated look on Nicklaus's face was all the satisfaction Gabriel needed."Really?" Gabriel responded, encouraging her to continue."Yes, I'm so tired of him. He begs constantly! I feed him, I clothe him—what more does he want? He's never even thanked me. All he does is ask for more, like I'm some kind of ATM," she complained bitterly.Nicklaus was still struggling to believe what he was hearing. He checked his phone screen and shook his head in disbelief—this was really happening."I love you, baby. I can't wait to meet you at our usu

"Is he awake yet? This pathetic loser thinks we'll pity him by putting on a show for us. Make sure you add all these expenses to what he already owes," Gabriel's voice drifted into Nicklaus's consciousness as the first words he heard upon waking.His eyes remained closed, and it took a moment for him to process Gabriel's cruel words.Suddenly, he began coughing. As he opened his eyes to the bright hospital room lighting, millions of calculations and data points began flooding his mind like a torrent.He stopped coughing as Gabriel and Dr. Stevens approached his bedside. Seeing his eyes wide open but his body rigid like a machine, they exchanged concerned glances."He must be having side effects from one of those cheap drugs we gave him. Inject him with another sedative so he'll go back to sleep," Dr. Stevens said to one of the nurses."What? No, I don't want him sedated. I want him conscious because I need to collect every penny he owes this hospital," Gabriel interrupted.As vast amo

Nicklaus crashed to the ground, blood streaming from his nose.The officer didn't stop there. He grabbed Nicklaus by the shirt and yanked him to his feet with brutal force."Stand up like a man and tell me why you killed her! Was this your plan all along?" the officer demanded.Nicklaus was furious, but as he looked at the man, he could see numerous health problems afflicting him."Stop taking those pills at night—they're only making you worse, not better," Nicklaus said, trying to remain calm.He realized the officer was simply following orders. Gabriel was orchestrating everything behind the scenes."What?" the officer asked, confused. Just as Nicklaus had said, the self-prescribed medication he'd been buying wasn't helping his condition at all."If you don't stop those drugs, you'll have a heart attack within three days. And I'm not sure you'll survive it," Nicklaus said matter-of-factly.The officer looked bewildered, as if Nicklaus were speaking a foreign language. However, he ha